Oil spill in Australia’s Coral Sea

The oil spill occurred around 10 March 2009 off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia, in which 230 tonnes of fuel oil, 30 tonnes of other fuel and 31 shipping containers (620 tonnes) of ammonium nitrate spilled into the Coral Sea, north of Moreton Bay during Cyclone Hamish.

Over the following days, the spill washed ashore along 60 kilometres (37 mi) of coastline encompassing the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Bribie Island and Moreton Island.

The ship proceeded through Moreton Bay and docked at the Port of Brisbane where it continued to spread a 500 m long slick in the mouth of the Brisbane River.

The Queensland government declared a state of emergency. Premier Anna Bligh described the spill as the “worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen.